Mt. San Rafael Hospital

Background Statement

Mt. San Rafael Hospital's history began in 1889, when the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio, opened a two-story, 40-bed hospital on land generously donated by Dr. Barron Beshoar. The hospital was named Mt. San Rafael Hospital in memory of a generous benefactor of the Catholic Church, Don Rafael Chacon. Sixteen years later, in 1905, the first training school for nurses west of the Mississippi opened at Mt. San Rafael Hospital, with five students; it remained in operation until 1932. In 1906, a facility addition as large as the original building was added to the hospital in order to admit more patients and administer better care with improved and expanded facilities. In 1907, about 2,000 lots surrounding the hospital were purchased from Dr. Beshoar for "one dollar and other valuable considerations," to prevent houses from being built too close to the hospital. Then, in 1932, the training school for nurses consolidated with Glockner Hospital in Colorado Springs and St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo to form the Seton School of Nursing. In 1950, a Physiotherapy Department was established in the hospital for the treatment of polio cases in the area. Equipment, including an Iron Lung, was on loan from the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis for a three-year period. In 1955, a school of practical nursing education was organized through Trinidad State Junior College. And, in 1957, another major renovation was completed on the hospital building.

In 1969, the modern history of the new Mt. San Rafael Hospital began as the existing hospital building was purchased from the Sisters of Charity and came under new administration by the Trinidad Area Health Association. Two years later, in 1971, a contract was negotiated to construct a completely new 70-bed hospital. The move was completed to the new Joint Commission accredited facility in 1972. In 1978, a four-bed Special Care Unit was dedicated and opened to further the hospital's capacity to administer to more seriously ill patients. In 1979, a 2,000 pound ceramic mural, created by Sister Augusta Zimmer, S.C., of Cincinnati, Ohio, was installed on a wall in the main lobby. The mural, depicting the history of Trinidad, was constructed in pieces and shipped to the hospital from Ohio. It was necessary to reinforce the wall in order to facilitate the weight of the mural, which remains a feature of the lobby today and an attraction for patients, locals, and tourists. In June of 1993, the last Sister of Charity to be affiliated with Mt. San Rafael Hospital retired. And, in 2000 and 2001, mechanical upgrades and major exterior renovations to the building were completed.

In the summer of 2015, we were awarded a $2 million grant from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to improve the infrastructure at the Hospital; for the cooling tower, boilers, air handlers, etc. To ensure these funds were spent appropriately, we engaged Davis Partnership Architects to facilitate a Master Facility Plan (MFP).